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Custom Ozette Randonneur Bag

Hey there! Our Custom Sewing Studio is temporarily closed as Washington State is Sheltering in Place due to Covid-19. We miss our sewing machines and can’t wait to dive right back into work when this is all in our rearview mirror. Stay Well, Team Swift

The Ozette Randonneur is a front mounted bicycle bag that sits on a traditional randonneur rack and is further stabilized by the use of a decaleur. We’ve pushed the envelop by celebrating the timeless box design of traditional randonneur bags, while building our Ozette out of the latest, lightest and most durable technical fabrics in the outdoor industry.

The Ozette Rando bag is held in place with four velcro straps (on the bottom), a loop to hold the rack’s backstop, and a decaleur (sold separately). Be sure to check the Rando Lexicon for guidance and installation instructions. This is a more involved bag to install, but pays off with secure attachment for confident riding on even the roughest roads.

Features:

Swift takes the classic French handlebar bag design and pairs it with modern textiles to bring you the lightest traditional randonneur bags on the market. The Ozette Rando bag is installed at the front of the bicycle on a small front rack and attaches to the bike using a decaleur.

We took the Ozette Rando Bag to the next level with durable X-Pac™ fabric. Additional abrasion resistance and a rip-stop grid make X-Pac™ an excellent material for more rugged adventures.

A favorite of long-distance cyclists, randonneur bags make for more efficient riding by keeping gear accessible while on the move.

The Ozette Randonneur bag is held in place on a randonneur rack in 3 critical spots. Four velcro straps hold the bottom of the bag securely to the platform of the rack. An essential webbing loop that holds the randonneur front rack’s tombstone, and an piece of attachment hardware called a decaleur (sold separately) all work together to ensure that the Ozette is stable and secure on the rack.

Features:

The Ozette Randonneur bag’s top flap closure hooks are positioned on the sides of the bag, where they’re easier to reach on-bike. This innovative design also distributes tension more evenly to reduce long-term warping of the map case. For further weatherproofing, the top flap is discretely flared to keep rain and snow from getting into the main compartment. Inside flaps hold down gear in a stuffed bag and help with weather, too.Sizing:

Swift Ozette Rando bags comes in two sizes. Choose your bag by height so the top will be as flush with your handlebars as possible, without interfering with your hand placement.

Cool Features:

Flat elastic interior organizing system (varies slightly according to size of bag)

Discretely flared flap for increased weather protection

Front pocket

Two rear pockets

Two flat side pockets

Side dee rings for optional shoulder strap

Four velcro straps on the bottom for additional stability

12L Ozette Randonneur Bag

Measurements: 9.25”h X 11”w X 7.5”d

Capacity: 12.5 L

Bag Weight: 1.4 lbs

Decaleur Attachment Height: 6.5”-8.5” from bottom of bag

15L Ozette Randonneur Bag

Measurements: 11.75”h X 11”w X 7.5”d

Capacity: 15.5 L

Bag Weight: 1.6 lbs

Decaleur Attachment Height: 6.5”-11” from bottom of bag

Materials:

Shell Choices

Multi-Cam X-Pac™

1000 Denier Cordura™

X-Pac™ is a multi-layer, light and durable fabric designed for adventure. It’s waterproof, and limits moisture from getting into your bag (the seams are not sealed).

Also built out of

200 Denier Packcloth

Clear Vinyl Pocket

Velcro™ Hook and Loop

Nylon Webbing

Corrugated Plastic

Made in-house at Swift Industries, Seattle WA

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO INSTALL A TRADITIONAL RANDONNEUR RACK AND BAG

The Randonneur Rack Set-Up:

A Randonneur Rack and Decaleur are required to mount the Ozette Rando Bag to the front of your bicycle.

The rack typically comes in two styles to mount to different forks. One style attaches to the Cantilever Brake bosses on a fork, and the second rack style typically uses rubberized P-Clamps to attach the stays of the rack to the bicycle fork where eyelets are missing.

The Decaleur is a male/female metal bracket that stabilizes the bag on the bicycle. The male part is permanently affixed to your Ozette Rando Bag and the receiving end stays on your bicycle. You can choose between decaleur designs which stack into the headset spacers right above your headtube tube, or bolt to your stem faceplate on more modern componentry. Additionally, Velo Orange has designed an integrated Rack and Decaleur system that does not require the female end of decaleur to be installed on the bicycle: instead the receiving end of the decaleur is a part of their rack.

Choosing the right Ozette Rando Bag height:

Get ready to do a little homework. It’s simple stuff but requires attention and accurate measurements. Each bicycle design has different geometry (the angles and lengths of the frame and fork of a bicycle). As angles change so do the distances between mounting points for a randonneur bag set-up. This is why we at Swift Industries are challenged to tell you which size bag to use on a bicycle we’ve never laid eyes on.

Don’t fret, we’ll walk you through the principles of selecting the right Ozette Rando bag and you’ll be in business in no time.

Ideally, the rack is installed on the bicycle before you go to choose your Ozette Rando Bag size. You will be looking at two different measurements to decide which bag is right: the height of your decaleur relative to the platform of the rack, and the height of your handlebars relative to the platform of the rack.

First: Measure the space between your rack and the receiving end of the decaleur to determine which Ozette Rando bag size is compatible with your bicycle. Check which bag’s spacing corresponds the top of receiving end of the decaleur. This will determine which sizes are compatible with your bicycle.

Second: The height of the bag should be as flush with your handlebars as possible without interfering with your hand placement on the flats of the bars.

Now that you’ve narrowed down which bag works with your declaeur placement, you can select the height that suits your handlebar position the best.

The nuances of riding with weight in the front of the bicycle: How steady a bicycle will handle with front weight goes back to the geometry of a bicycle. Some frame and fork sets are explicitly designed to carry front loads, and others will compromise the stability of your ride. We can’t really advise according to each bicycle (there are too many nuanced measurements that influence this issue), but you should be aware that some bicycles will handle better than others with weight up front.

Bag Installation:

Install both your randonneur rack and the female/receiving end of your decaleur on your bicycle. Put the male side of the decaleur into its receiving end and then place the Ozette Rando Bag on the rack and mark precisely where the holes of the male end of the delceur intercept your bag. This is where the male side will be bolted to your Ozette Rando Bag.

You will need to punch holes in your Ozette to install your decaleur. For best results, we recommend using a soldering iron. Feed your hardware through the body of the bag, the coroplast insert, and the interior cloth liner.

What is Randonneuring?

Randonneuring is a veign of organized long-distance cycling that was popularized in Europe at the turn of the 20th Century and is experiencing a strong contemporary resurgence as we speak.
Riders aim to complete a course within a specified time and must pass through checkpoints, or Controls, along the route. Typically the rides, called Brevets or a Randonee, begins at 200k and the longest routes are 1400k.
A Randonneur must adhere to a set of rules in order to receive merits for completing a route. Fundamentally, randonneuring is non-competitive, though riders challenge themselves and their compatriots to ride further faster with ambitious goals. To find out more check out Randonneurs USA (RUSA), or Seattle’s publication Bicycle Quarterly.
A traditional front bag design facilitates endurance riding by making one’s belongings accessible while on the move. Tools and a Brevet card, food, and warm layers should all be right in arm’s reach so that stops are short if even necessary.

It’s new Ozette Randonneur Bag day! Here at Swift, we mail our product unassembled to reduce the carbon footprint of your order. Check out this tutorial video about how to put your Ozette Randonneur Bag together the day it arrives.